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Terminology

YELLOW - The term used to describe a feather where the pigment goes to the tip of the feather. (Other terms sometimes heard; Hard-feather, Intensive, Non-frost.)

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BUFF - The term used to describe a feather where the extreme tip in not pigmented. (Other terms sometimes heard; Soft-feather, Non-Intensive, Frost.)

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CLEAR - A bird totally devoid of melanistic pigmentation.

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TICKED - A bird with one dark mark that can be covered with a penny.

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FOUL - A Self bird with feathers in wing or tail that are devoid of dark pigment.

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VARIEGATED - A bird that has one pigmented area larger than a penny, but also has some areas of lipochrome feathering visible.

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SELF - A bird that has pigmentation in all of its feathers.

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MELANIN - There are two pigments that can appear in the feather of the bird and that can be either Black or Brown.

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GROUND COLOR - These are separate from the melanin colors and can be either yellow or white. (Please do not confuse the ground color yellow with the feather hardest of the Yellow term above) It should be noted that the white ground is a mutation of the original yellow ground, which has the effect of reducing the yellow ground to white.

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CINNAMON - The brown melanin color (Cinnamon) is one of the first known mutation in canaries. The effect of the mutation dilutes the color of the plumage in variegated areas making it appear as brown. The effect of the mutation also changes the original dark color of the legs, feet and beak to a flesh color. The cinnamon mutation is a recessive sex linked character. When it mutation appears on a yellow ground bird it is know as a Cinnamon.

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FAWN - Is used to describe the white ground bird that has the Brown melanin/Cinnamon mutation.

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BLUE - Is used to describe the white ground bird that has the Black melanin, which has the effect of giving a slate color to its marking.